Springfield firefighter Kenneth Murray dies in car crash

SPRINGFIELD (AP) — Investigators continue to probe a weekend car crash in Springfield that took the life of a city firefighter who was injured in a natural gas explosion at a downtown strip club in November.

Police say 23-year-old Kenneth Murray died when he was ejected from his vehicle after it struck a utility pole at about 3:15 a.m. Sunday in the city’s Indian Orchard neighborhood. He was taken to Baystate Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

A spokesman for the city fire department told The Republican newspaper that Murray was still out due to the service-related injury suffered in the Nov. 13 explosion that damaged 45 buildings.

A police spokesman says excessive speed has been listed as the accident’s cause, but investigators are awaiting the results of toxicology tests.